US-based software company, Comsol together with Samsung South Africa have unveiled a live 5G pilot network in Soweto, Johannesburg. The pilot network was officially turned at a ceremony which drew attendance from several major public figures, including Gauteng Premier David Makhura.
Comsol makes it as a front-runner for local 5G services because of it access to the largest tranche of contiguous 28GHz spectrum in South Africa. While commenting, Lain Stevenson, Comsol CEO said there are plans to launch commercial 5G services to businesses and consumers in certain areas in South Africa before the end of 2019.
He said this specific pilot network is a 5G “Fixed Wireless Access” solution, consisting of 5G end-to-end hardware solutions provided by Samsung South Africa.
See Also: South African Based Vodacom Group Launches first ever 5G Network in Lesotho
Tests on the live 5G network saw download speeds peak at 1.75Gbps, he added.
“This opens the doors to a new world, one where ubiquitous, high-speed networks deliver digital services to millions of citizens at low costs,” Stevenson said.
The Comsol pilot follows Vodacom showing off a 5G trial earlier in the week, which saw the operator provide download speeds of over 700Mbps.
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